heliotrope
heliotrope Lexical Profile
heliotrope Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of various flowering plants and shrubs of the genus Heliotropium in the borage family (Boraginaceae), native to warm and tropical regions worldwide and widely cultivated for their dense, curving clusters of small, sweetly fragrant purple, violet, or white blossoms.
"A border of purple heliotrope along the garden path filled the evening air with a sweet, vanilla-like scent."
A light reddish-purple or pinkish-violet color resembling the flowers of the heliotrope plant.
"The evening sky faded from bright gold into a soft shade of heliotrope."
A dark green variety of chalcedony or cryptocrystalline quartz speckled or streaked with red jasper, used as a semiprecious gemstone.
"The antique signet ring was set with a polished oval of dark green heliotrope flecked with crimson."
A surveying instrument that uses an adjustable mirror to reflect sunlight over great distances to mark the position of a distant station during triangulation.
"Nineteenth-century geodesists used a heliotrope to flash solar signals between mountain peaks miles apart."
• adjective
Having a light reddish-purple or pinkish-violet color resembling the blossoms of the heliotrope flower.
"The fashion designer paired a sheer heliotrope blouse with tailored charcoal trousers."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Old French and Latin from Ancient Greek 'hēliotropion' (literally 'sun-turner'), from 'hēlios' (sun) and 'trepein' (to turn), originally referring to plants whose blossoms or leaves were believed to turn toward the sun.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.